The Waterloo Finance Committee on Aug. 4 approved a block of preauthorizations that covered vehicle parts, software renewals, IT hardware, theatre concourse players and wastewater equipment, including two raw submersible pumps listed at $607,935.

The motion covered multiple departmental requests: a turbocharger actuator mounting kit for a fire truck ($6,758.88 plus $500 shipping and handling); civic clerk software renewal ($23,746.51); sportsman software renewals for cultural and leisure services ($3,705 and $5,514.45); 16 concourse players for the convention center ($79,152 plus shipping); MIS network and server maintenance and Aruba networking equipment (various amounts); two rotary actuators for sewer inlet valves ($21,446.45 plus $435 shipping) and two raw submersible wastewater pumps for the east side listed at $607,935.

During discussion, Councilman Boesen said he believed the turbocharger for engine 301 might still be under a five-year unlimited-miles warranty and asked staff not to purchase the part until warranty coverage was checked. Sheila Stefan, public works coordinator, responded, "I will check with the fleet maintenance director. If it is indeed under warranty, We'll we'll run it through as that. If we find out it's not, we can always add it to a future agenda. So I will double check for you and let you know."

Wastewater collections director Jesse Gearty described the pump situation: the plant is a five-pump system currently operating on three pumps and is "pumping about 47,000,000" with three pumps; a fourth would allow "up to 67,000,000," he said. Gearty added that the pumps have a 22-week lead time and that one pump already ordered is expected late August or early September. Gearty said the currently installed pumps are older units that have undergone rebuilds.

The committee voted to approve the preauthorizations. A separate budget amendment later allocated $900,000 for eastern raw wastewater pump purchases.

The approvals were procedural preauthorizations submitted by various departments; no specific statutes or procurement codes were cited in the discussion.